Global warming. Wilderness depletion. Air and water pollution. Species extinction. Toxic waste. Our environment and public health are at risk.
Corporations should not be part of the problem, rather, they should be part of the solution. But every day Coca-Cola Co. sells more than 25 million plastic soda bottles in the United States alone. Every one of these bottles is made from entirely virgin plastic despite Coke's promise in 1990 to start using recycled materials. This has literally killed the plastic recycling market in the United States.The Ford Motor Co. produces five of the 10 most highly polluting vehicles on the road. Although the chairman, William Clay Ford Jr., claims to be environmentally concerned, his company spends millions of dollars lobbying against increased auto efficiency and emission standards through a group called the Global Climate Coalition.
BP-Amoco is planning to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of the remaining pristine places on Earth.
These three corporations, each an egregious polluter in their industry, have been selected for a "dirty jobs" boycott by colleges across the nation. The point of this boycott is to tell these irresponsible polluters that we, as students who are soon to enter the work force, will not work for these companies until they change their ways
When polluters realize that they cannot hire the best and brightest while destroying the environment, they will be forced to clean up their acts. We, the students in Terra Firma, the environmental club at the University of Utah, are kicking off this "dirty jobs" boycott in order to help bring about environmental responsibility.
For more information check out www.dirtyjobs.com or contact a member of Terra Firma at the U.
Rosemary Winters, Kati C. Bostwick, Joseph Maquart
Salt Lake City